


Playing Catwoman

by xenosaurus



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 02:57:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11266500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenosaurus/pseuds/xenosaurus
Summary: Superhuman does not mean superhero.





	Playing Catwoman

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lightinthedarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightinthedarkness/gifts).



**de·vi·a·tion** /ˌdēvēˈāSH(ə)n/  
_noun._  
1\. the action of departing from an established course or accepted standard.  
2\. the ability of a superhuman.

*

The mask is for show, but Yusuke loves it. Madarame has always been good at reading his face, but the mask he wears to be Fox covers everything but his eyes. He didn't ask for that, but if the costume designer has telepathy, maybe they plucked it right out of his head.

Superhuman does not mean super _hero_.

Yusuke is starkly reminded of this as he walks along the ceiling beams like an acrobat on a high wire. He's painted all over the bottom of his shoes, so they are what he imagines them to be-- magically capable of increasing his balance.

That's his deviation.

The evaluator Madarame took him to when he was 12 said he had the potential to be a true reality warper. It's been 6 years, and nothing that comprehensive has come of it. Yusuke is limited by his own way of seeing the world, and no amount of professional trainers, hypnotherapy or physical beatings have fixed this. His deviation only works when he uses it with his paints.

This year, Yusuke Kitagawa reached the Japanese age of majority. That meant his powers were officially registered, he was formally rejected for the superhero training (and related financial benefits) that he never wanted, and that Madarame is finally allowed to legally put him to work.

Which is why he's walking along the support beams for the exhibits right now, instead of sleeping. There's no greater deterrent to theft than a security guard with a deviation and a costume, even if they aren't an officially registered or trained superhero.

Yusuke never realized how lonely the middle of the night was until that was the only time he was ever awake. It isn't as though he has any close friends, but he doesn't even get to chat with the folks at the library or the galleries anymore. It's just... silence, darkness and the Fox mask.

At least he likes the mask.

Lately, though, things have been different.

Yusuke doesn't know what Joker's deviation is. He isn't registered anywhere, at least not anywhere Yusuke can find, and every time Yusuke thinks he has it pinned down some new hint comes to light than contradicts the last one.

No matter what Joker's deviation is, though, he keeps finding his way into the building. Nothing is ever missing in the morning, and he never picks a fight. He just finds a place in the museum and waits to be found.

At first, Yusuke used to chase him out, then check every inch of the place. Once or twice, he even told Madarame about it, got the whole place examined. But they never find any evidence and, eventually, Yusuke started keeping his midnight visits to himself. He doesn't even bother to check to see if things are stolen at the end of the night.

They started talking not long after Yusuke stopped trying to remove Joker from the premises. It's odd to even think it, but this strange, gentlemanly intruder is probably the closest thing Yusuke has to a friend.

Or, perhaps more than a friend, because last night, Joker kissed him.

It was about an hour before sunrise, the time when Joker usually vanishes without a trace. Instead of slipping away while Yusuke's back was turned, he'd joined him up on the rafters and silently approached from behind. When Yusuke turned around, startled, Joker had gently nudged Yusuke's chin up with a gloved hand. They'd been high up in the air and Yusuke's balance was only maintained by his shoes.

"Do you want this?" Joker had asked, his eyes intense behind his mask. Yusuke had swallowed and nodded, not trusting his words.

So Joker kissed him. Yusuke remembers it in intense detail. Their masks had bumped into each other, making a soft clicking sound. Joker's mouth tasted like mint and he kept up easily with Yusuke's flustered, inexperienced enthusiasm. The rasp of the fabric of his gloves is a sensation burned into Yusuke's skin like a brand, a mark that something beautiful has been here.

And then it was over, and Joker was gone.

There's been a pattern of escalation over the past weeks, and Yusuke can't shake the hope that maybe it will continue. What is the next step after a kiss like that? Yusuke has had dreams about those gloves sliding under his clothes, not all of them while he was asleep. He is glad there is nobody on the museum staff who has a mind-reading deviation, or his morning check-ins would be disastrous.

Tonight, he finds Joker sitting beneath a huge statue of a woman, effortlessly relaxed. Yusuke's mouth goes dry at the sight of him.

"Ah, Fox. There you are," Joker says, standing up. He has an almost feline grace. "I was wondering when you'd find me."

"This spot is new," Yusuke remarks, fully aware that it's an inane comment. Joker lets it go with a hint of a smirk.

"A lot of new things this week. Did you miss me, after I left?"

Yusuke swallows. His eyes dart down to Joker's lips.

"I did," He admits, and Joker steps back into his personal space as if he'd never left.

He smirks, and Yusuke shivers with how much he _wants_ this.

"Excellent."


End file.
